Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Energy

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromLord Callanan on 31 October (HL2667), whether they will place a copy of the analysis referred to in the Library of the House; and what discussions they have had (1) internally, and (2) with industry, in the past 12 months on (a) increasing production of wave and tidal energy, and (b) innovative funding mechanisms for this.

Lord Callanan: A summary of the report’s findings, the role and value of Tidal Stream Generation in the Future UK Energy System is publicly available on the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult website. The Government consulted last year on the draft energy National Policy Statements, which include a provision for tidal energy, and the Government will publish a response in due course.

Water Power

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings or correspondence they have had with firms and trade bodies in the fisheries industry in 2022 about (1) barriers to, and (2) benefits of, deployment of wave and tidal energy.

Lord Callanan: The Government has not recently corresponded with or met fisheries trade associations on the subject of tidal energy. The Government consulted last year on the draft energy National Policy Statements, which included a provision for tidal energy, and will publish a response in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care

Nurses: Resignations

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies Factors associated with staff retention in the NHS acute sector, published on 23 August, which found a disparity in the ages at which men and women leave the nursing profession.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the disparity between the average ages at which men and women leave the nursing profession.

Lord Markham: The Institute for Fiscal Studies report was commissioned by the Department and NHS England was involved in its development. As the report found, retention is a complex matter influenced by multiple factors, including trust leadership and organisational culture, staff experience in the workplace and economic opportunities in the local area. We welcome the report's findings, including the relationship between age, gender and experience of staff and decisions to remain in the workforce.The findings will inform NHS England’s work to strengthen retention in the National Health Service, which seeks to understand why staff leave and provide targeted interventions to support staff to stay. Each trust is required to have retention action plans in place which will target support where needed locally. In July 2022, NHS England asked each NHS organisation to prioritise the delivery of actions on nursing and midwifery retention, which includes enhanced support for those joining the NHS, menopause support and improved advice and guidance for those later in their career with flexible working and pensions.

Hospital Beds and Social Services

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report The state of health care and adult social care in England 2021/22 by the Care Quality Commission, published on 21 October, which found that, due to a lack of capacity in social care, just two in five people leave hospital when they are fit for discharge, what steps they are taking to increase capacity in social care so more patients can be discharged.

Lord Markham: We are investing £500 million to accelerate the safe discharge of medically fit patients from hospitals into social care. This funding can be used flexibly by local health and care systems, targeting areas facing the greatest challenges and supporting recruitment and retention in the sector. We are also investing £15 million to increase international recruitment of care workers and promoting adult social care careers through a recently launched national recruitment campaign.

Patient Choice Schemes

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with rolling-out the capacity alerts system for the NHS e-referral service; and when they intend to make that a requirement for all referrals from general practice.

Lord Markham: We are exploring the option of such alerts within the National Health Service e-Referral Service (e-RS) system to identify where there are capacity pressures within individual services. These have been utilised previously at the point of referral to allow referring clinicians to view capacity within providers. The re-introduction of this option requires further work to ensure there are no unintended consequences and regional oversight with local system commissioners to ensure provision for patient referrals is always available.

Integrated Care Boards

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ensure a consistent approach across allIntegrated Care Boards that allows for the timely accreditation of providers of (1) new, and (2) additional, patient services under the Any Qualified Provided (AQP) model.

Lord Markham: NHS England has enforcement powers in relation to patient choice provisions and engages directly with integrated care boards to support compliance with statutory duties. NHS England also advises patients, providers and commissioners on the relevant regulations. Providers may raise concerns relating to patient choice provisions directly with NHS England.

NHS: Drugs

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns about the (1) safety, and (2) performance, of homecare medicines services in NHS (a) contracts, and (b) framework agreements; and what steps are being taken to mitigate any concerns.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the impact of underperformance of homecare medicines services on (1) patient safety, and (2) early treatment initiation; and what steps they are taking to mitigate any such impact.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of (1) accountability, and (2) governance, mechanisms around the (a) safety, and (b) performance, of homecare medicines services.

Lord Markham: In England there are 12 providers of homecare medicines services to National Health Service patients under contracts or framework agreements which may be held at national, regional or local level. Homecare providers are assessed on a monthly basis against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which include the monitoring of patients’ adverse events, complaints and incidents and hold regular meetings with the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC) and NHS England. Providers which do not meet KPIs are held to account and action will be taken to ensure that levels of service return the relevant standards, which measure quality and patient safety.

Evusheld

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government why a commissioning recommendation by NICE on Evusheld takes nearly a year to make; and whether they will expedite the appraisal of Evusheld by NICE by allocating it increased resources so the decision is made before 25 December.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) evaluation process usually takes approximately nine months and includes consideration of the available evidence from expert committees and engagement with interested parties.Following an agreement with the manufacturer, NICE has expedited its appraisal by one month and expects to publish its draft guidance in April 2023. NICE will conduct the appraisal as quickly as possible while maintaining rigorous and impartial appraisal standards. We are working with NICE to explore options for further expediting the process, including determining any additional requirements from the manufacturer and other organisations.

Medical Treatments

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment theymade of the merits of establishing a Gene Therapy and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) taskforce.

Lord Markham: The Department is currently considering recommendations made by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and the UK Strategic Stem Cell Forum, which include establishing an Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products taskforce or implementation group.

Genetic Engineering

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following their commitment in the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2022, published on 28 February,when they will publish their strategic approach to gene therapies.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyAdvanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) have been identified through NHS horizon scanning are anticipated to launch in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, (3) 2025, (4) 2026, and (5) 2027.

Lord Markham: The strategic approach on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) is currently in development with patients and stakeholders. The publication date is yet to be confirmed. The following table shows the number of ATMPs identified through National Health Service horizon scanning which anticipated to launch in each year from 2023 to 2027.202320202432202532026420272 There remains a high degree of uncertainty on expected launch dates, as this requires marketing authorisation, permissive recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and services to be in place for treatment. Where NICE’s recommendation and services are not secured, marketing authorisation is used as a proxy, although it is likely that a launch will follow. This information is likely to change regularly due to commercial sensitivities, ATMPs being subject to trial success and any issues connected to manufacturing and product withdrawal from the United Kingdom market.

Nurses: Training

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the number of clinical placements available to nurses; and if so, (1) by how many, and (2) when.

Lord Markham: Individual higher education institutions are responsible for working with placement providers and Health Education England (HEE) to ensure an adequate number of clinical placements are available for students. Since 2019/20, HEE has invested approximately £55 million to support additional placement capacity and simulated learning capacity. This is in addition to an annual £180 million allocated via the Education and Training Tariff to placement providers. There are currently 120,000 nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students in training in England. In 2021, there were more than 30,000 acceptances for nursing and midwifery undergraduate programmes, a 28% increase compared to 2019.

Nurses: Training

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to develop new routes into the nursing profession.

Lord Markham: The Government has established a full apprenticeship pathway from healthcare support worker to registered nurse and onto advanced clinical practitioner and we are expanding new roles, such as associates and assistants. The nursing associate role was developed in 2017 as a route into professional roles, such as becoming a registered nurse. In 2020/21 there were 4,304 entrants on apprenticeship programmes compared to 1,417 in 2017/18.In 2021, we also established a blended learning nursing programme which offers predominantly online, remote-access study. Health Education England anticipates that approximately 8,500 nurses will commence training in blended learning programmes in the next five years. We have recently launched the blended learning programme for midwifery.

Blood: Donors

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of NHS Blood and Transplant’s blood donation operations, following the amber alert declared on 12 October.

Lord Markham: Since 12 October, blood stocks have improved and NHS Blood and Transplant advised hospitals in England to return to the pre-amber phase from 8 November. As of 7 November, total blood stocks were at target levels of 6.8 days of supply. NHS Blood and Transplant aims to increase stocks during the winter to provide greater resilience and continues to advise hospitals to manage demand and ensure stocks are issued in accordance with clinical guidance. NHS Blood and Transplant is recruiting additional donor carers and nursing staff and increasing the number of donor appointments.

Dengue Fever

Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), what measures they have in place to monitor for an increase in dengue fever cases; how many cases would be sufficient to warrant further investigation; and what such investigations may involve.

Lord Markham: Dengue fever cases reported in the United Kingdom have been acquired as a result of travelling to endemic areas, such as South and South East Asia, South and Central America, Africa and the Caribbean. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises health professionals to be alert to the possibility of dengue fever in returning travellers. Where a case is suspected, health professionals should contact the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory for advice and diagnosis. There is no pre-determined threshold for the number of cases which would warrant a response. Laboratory clinical and epidemiological teams monitor changes in the pattern of diagnosis and respond as appropriate, such as updating current advice for travellers and the National Health Service, increasing diagnostic testing and reporting in accordance with international health regulations. The UKHSA also works with local authorities, port health and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to monitor points of entry for the invasive mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue in France.

Coronavirus

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the risk to the public from Omicron subvariants driving a wave of COVID-19 this winter.

Lord Markham: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) regularly undertakes risk assessments of emerging COVID-19 strains with academic partners, combining evidence from laboratory experiments, domestic sequencing in the United Kingdom and international datasets. These assessments carry high uncertainty inherent to these sources of data. The most recent assessment, The SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England: Technical briefing 47 was published on 28 October 2022 and copy is attached. There are currently several sub-lineages of Omicron in circulation globally, each carrying a common set of mutations. Laboratory evidence suggests that these mutations make these sub-lineages more resilient to neutralisation by antibodies elicited from vaccination and past infection. The assessment suggests with moderate confidence that these strains could contribute to increases in cases and hospitalisations in the UK. The Omicron BQ.1 strain, while currently low in prevalence, accounts for an increasing share of UK COVID-19 cases. The XBB is present in low numbers in the UK, although it has the potential to increase. In Singapore, XBB is now the dominant variant and increased hospitalisations, though transmission attenuated quickly. During winter, there is typically increased circulation of respiratory viruses, which may contribute to the growth of Omicron sub-lineages and increase the resurgence risk of COVID-19. Autumn booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines have therefore been offered to those aged 50 years old or over or at risk of severe outcomes.SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (pdf, 2655.1KB)

Dengue Fever: Disease Control

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of work being undertaken to reduce the incidence of dengue infection carried by mosquitoes.

Lord Markham: All cases of dengue identified in the United Kingdom are acquired abroad and the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory has accredited, reliable tests for the infection. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works with local authorities, port health and Animal and Plant Health border inspection teams to monitor points of entry for the mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue which occasionally occur in the rest of Europe. Since 2016, these invasive mosquito vectors have been found in Southern England on six occasions and a cross-Government contingency plan was initiated to reduce chances of establishment in the UK. The UKHSA also supports efforts across Europe to monitor dengue vectors and assists UK overseas territories in managing dengue outbreaks, particularly in the Caribbean.

Healthy Start Scheme: Telephone Services

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the (1) average, and (2) longest, waiting times for calls made to the Healthy Start helpline in each of the most recent six months for which data are available.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the average and longest waiting times in hours, minutes and seconds for calls to the Healthy Start helpline in each of the last six months for which data is available.  Average speed of answerMaximum waiting timeSeptember 202200:00:2700:16:40August 202200:00:0700:10:27July 202200:00:2600:19:13June 202200:14:0100:58:50May 202200:14:3800:55:09April 202200:22:1402:00:00

Food: Advertising

Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made byBaroness Penn on 4 February (HL Deb col 1215), and the remarks made by the former Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 30 March (HC Deb col 865), why theydid not consult on the scope of products subject to restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS), before the instore aspect of those HFSS restrictions the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 came into force on 1 October.

Lord Markham: The Government consulted on the product categories in scope of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 between 12 January 2019 and 6 April 2019. The advertising restrictions as referred to in the remarks of 4 February and 30 March are separate restrictions and have not come into force.

Health Services and Social Services

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Standards Authority reportSafer care for all: Solutions from professional regulation and beyond, published on 6 September, what steps they will take in response to the recommendation that there should be "an independent Health and Social Care Safety Commissioner (or equivalent) for each UK country to identify current, emerging, and potential risks across the whole health and social care system, and bring about the necessary action across organisations".

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Standards Authority reportSafer care for all: Solutions from professional regulation and beyond, published on 6 September, what steps they will take in response to the recommendation that there should be "acoherent practitioner regulatory strategy to support delivery of national workforce strategies across the UK".

Lord Markham: We will consider the report’s recommendations through the Government’s programme of regulatory reform which will deliver improvements to the system of professional regulation, to the health and care workforce and patient and public safety. The programme will also consider the powers available to the Professional Standards Authority and how this can be used to improve healthcare regulation.

Gambling: Young People

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany young people have been treated in the NHSnational children and young person’s pilot gambling clinic in the past year, broken down by (1) age, and (2) the region of the country they live in.

Lord Markham: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested.

Evusheld

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to release (1) modelling, and (2) analytics, data on the number of immunocompromised patients (a) who got COVID-19, (b) have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19, (c) who were admitted to intensive care with COVID-19, and (d) have died from COVID-19, since 17 March when Evusheld was approved for use in England.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will release (1) modelling, and (2) analytics, data on the number of immunocompromised patients who are likely (a) to get, (b) be hospitalised, (c) be admitted to an Intensive Treatment Unit, and (d) to die, from COVID-19 over winter in 2022–23.

Lord Markham: The information requested is not held centrally.

Department for Education

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase the financial education provided to young people, including teaching about savings, investments, mortgages and other borrowing.

Baroness Barran: The department wants all young people to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.Finance education forms part of the citizenship national curriculum, at Key Stages 3 and 4, but can be taught by all schools at all Key Stages.The subject covers the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and managing financial risk. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.The mathematics curriculum includes a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic that primary pupils should be taught. A strong grasp of mathematics will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including using percentages. The secondary mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ understanding in relation to more complex personal finance issues, such as calculating loan repayments, interest rates and compound interest.The Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England in November 2021, to support school leaders to enhance their financial education provision. The guidance can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/financial-education-in-schools/.The department and the Money and Pensions Service are also planning a series of joint financial education webinars during this academic year, aimed at promoting the importance of financial education, improving pupils’ skills and knowledge and teachers’ confidence.

Free School Meals: Migrants

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure all schools are aware of the extension of the right to free school meals to children in all families subject to the 'no recourse to public funds' rule.

Baroness Barran: The permanent extension of free school meal (FSM) eligibility to families with no recourse to public funds has been in place since the start of the 2021/22 summer term. The department updated its FSM guidance page at that time to reflect this change. The current guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities.On 20 April 2022, an article on the expansion of FSM eligibility was included in the Education and Skills Funding Agency Update, which was emailed to academies and local authorities directly. The article can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-20-april-2022.On 26 April 2022, the department issued a notice to all schools and local authorities through its sector bulletin that this change had come into effect.

Department for International Trade

Import Controls: Forced Labour

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration theyhave given to introducing an import ban on (1) all products produced by forced labour, and (2) on products produced by all Chinese companies listed as exploiting forced labour.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The United Kingdom is at the forefront of global efforts to eradicate modern-day slavery, including forced labour. The UK’s approach to tackling forced labour in global supply chains is focused on transparency and companies with a turnover of £36m or more are required to publish modern slavery statements. The Government has concerns about allegations of forced labour in China and works with international partners to hold China to account for any violation of human rights. Import bans are one of a range of tools that could be used to tackle forced labour in global supply chains and we continue to keep this policy response under close review.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Freedom of Expression

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) freedom of religion or belief, (2) freedom of assembly, and (3) freedom of expression, in Pakistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Pakistan is one of the FCDO's human rights priority countries and protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief is an integral part of our engagement. On 14 October, I (Lord Ahmad) met with Human Rights Minister Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, where he specifically raised Freedom of Religion or Belief. I (Lord Ahmad) also conducted a roundtable discussion in Pakistan with human rights stakeholders and civil society leaders on 15 October to discuss freedom of expression and assembly. On 20 October, the High Commissioner met with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, where he highlighted the UK's commitment to free and open societies, of which the freedom to hold and express views without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction is crucial. The UK remains committed to working with Pakistan to protect these rights.

Persecution of Christians Across the Globe Independent Review

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking or plan to take to implement the recommendations of theBishop of Truro's independent review of the FCDO support for persecuted Christians: assessment of recommendation's implementation, published on 4 July.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome the expert review on progress of implementing the Bishop of Truro's recommendations and, in line with the findings, accept their assessment for the need to continue to work to promote and strengthen freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental human right for all.Our work on this important human rights issue will never be complete, and we will continue to champion global efforts on FoRB. We will continue to ensure that the changes we have made are embedded and to look for opportunities to make FoRB central to the FCDO's wider human rights work.

Climate Change: Finance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the source of increased funding for climate adaptation announced by the Prime Minister at COP27 on 7 November; and whether this funding will be taken from (1) the Overseas Aid Budget, or (2) the funding previously announced at COP26.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The increased funding for climate adaptation announced by the Prime Minister at COP27 is part of the UK's overall £11.6 billon International Climate Finance (ICF) commitment. All UK ICF is Official Development Assistance, in accordance with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) rules and forms part of the UKs overseas aid budget.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cold Weather Payments

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 27 October (HL2653), on what basis they can provide for the Cold Weather Payment being £25; when they undertook their last review into the appropriateness of that figure; and what assessment they have made of the efficacy of a one-off payment for those eligible for the Cold Weather Payment.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: There are currently no plans to introduce a one-off payment under the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. This represents a generous contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need. The Government has already announced additional financial support to help vulnerable people with energy costs this winter, and the Department continues to keep its policies and procedures under review.

Universal Credit: Internet

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government how they are publicising to (1) claimants, and (2) advisers, the facility that exists for claimants to make and maintain a universal credit claim not online in cases where they would have difficulty with a digital claim; and what steps have they taken to ensure that (a) universal credit work coaches, and (b) subcontracted telephony agents, are aware of this facility.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Guidance is available on GOV.UK Universal Credit: Universal Credit: How to claim - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) outlining how claimants can make a claim to Universal Credit and the provision available to claim via the Universal Credit helpline telephony service for those who can’t claim online. Guidance is available to both Work Coaches and telephony agents regarding the option for claimants to make and maintain their Universal Credit claim by phone. In addition, DWP staff regularly receive reminders via senior leader calls of the facility to make claims by phone for those claimants who need it. DWP also grant funds Citizens Advice (CA), in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), to provide Help to Claim support to any persons making a new claim to Universal Credit. If they identify that a claim by phone is appropriate, then they will support the person in completing this.

Pensions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK pension funds of thefall of the Hang Seng Index.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: UK pension schemes investment in Asian markets, and therefore exposure to the fall of the Hang Seng index, is low. Overall, our UK Pension schemes operate over very long timescales and have balanced and diversified investment strategies. They are therefore well placed to navigate any periods of volatility in global markets.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact that the practice of stopping and reviewing benefits for disabled people who earn over a certain monthly threshold has had on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within the sector.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The department has not assessed whether benefit rules in relation to earnings have impacted on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within this sector.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies: Biodiversity

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the proposed UK delegates attending the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal will be from (1) UK Overseas Territories, and (2) Crown Dependencies.

Lord Benyon: As Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, I will be attending CBD COP15 as part of the UK delegation, which will be led by Defra Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey. My Department continues to work closely with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on our plans for the meeting. The current intention is for the delegation to contain eight representatives from the Overseas Territories. We will work closely together to advocate for ambitious global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, including targets to ensure that at least 30% of the global land and of the ocean is protected, ecosystems are restored, species population sizes are recovering, and extinctions are halted by 2050.

Chemicals: Pollution Control

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in protecting environmental and human health from the effects of chemical pollution.

Lord Benyon: HM Government's 25 Year Environment Plan set out actions to significantly reduce the levels of harmful chemicals entering the environment. Progress made against these actions have been published through our 25 Year Environment Plan Progress Reports and Indicator Framework. We are currently reviewing the 25 Year Environment Plan as required by the Environment Act 2021. The revised Environmental Improvement Plan will be subject to the relevant parliamentary laying procedures as set out in the Act.

Avian Influenza: Poultry

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of avian influenza on domestic poultry and what support they will provide to domestic producers.

Lord Benyon: The British poultry sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high quality chicken, turkey, duck and geese.The scale of Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks occurring in the UK and Europe is unprecedented and we recognise the poultry industry is under serious pressure. In the United Kingdom, during the period 1 October to 3 November 2022, approximately 1.5 million chickens, 931,000 turkeys, 336,700 ducks, and 19,000 geese alone have died or been culled for disease control purposes because of AI. In comparison to approximately 2.4 million chickens, 351,000 turkeys, 342,500 ducks and 41,800 geese during the first year of the outbreak (October 2021 to September 2022).We recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual poultry farmers and businesses that are affected. However, the overall impact on food supply is relatively small, with approximately 1.1 billion chickens and 11 million turkeys alone usually sold in Great Britain each year.Defra's objective in tackling any outbreak of Avian Influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Our approach considers the latest ornithological, epidemiological, veterinary and other scientific advice. Where necessary, we are also able to introduce Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) and mandatory housing measures within AIPZs in order to reduce the risk of further disease spread. A national housing order in England was announced on 31 October and will come into force on 7 November.On 28 October we announced a new package of measures to support domestic producers with the impacts of AI. This included changes to the compensation scheme allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end. This will allow us to give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation, better reflect the impact of outbreaks on premises and lead to swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures.In consultation with the Food Standards Agency, an easement to marketing rules is also being introduced in England. The measures mean that farmers who breed turkeys, geese, ducks or capons for their meat will have the option to slaughter birds early, and to freeze them, which can then be defrosted and sold to consumers between the period 28 November and 31 December 2022. This option is being introduced to give producers certainty over business planning.Defra continues to monitor the situation and is working closely with the poultry sector.

Water: Pollution

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government why they failed to meet their statutory obligation to report on the disposal of urban waste water and sludge by the deadline of 31 December 2020.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government submitted the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive report on the disposal of urban waste and sludge to the EU Commission by the deadline of 31 December 2020.

Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances: Marine Environment

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on the marine environment.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they have taken to encourage industry to end the non-essential use of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban all non-essential use of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

Lord Benyon: We are committed to leading efforts to protect the marine environment and counter marine pollution. The UK Marine Strategy Programme of Measures sets out a comprehensive list of actions that HM Government is taking to reduce pollution in the marine environment. We are currently updating this aspect of the strategy, to outline the latest measures we are taking to continue to move us towards Good Environmental Status in our seas.Action has already been taken to ban or highly restrict specific Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) both domestically and internationally, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Data collected for Defra shows that levels of PFOS are declining in harbour porpoise. However, PFAS represent a very diverse group of chemicals with a wide range of uses for which safer and more sustainable alternatives are not yet available - making this a very challenging issue to tackle.Work is underway across government to help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources, and potential risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. In the UK REACH Work Programme for 2021-22, Defra asked the EA and HSE to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA). The RMOA will be published in early 2023 and will make recommendations for risk management measures, building on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to tackle chemicals of concern. Defra and the Devolved Administrations will carefully consider the RMOA recommendations to inform future PFAS policy.We have also recently launched a working group on PFAS under the UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum (CSF). This is aimed at fostering constructive dialogue on policy options, including on how HM Government can accelerate leadership by industry in moving away from PFAS.

Water: Pollution

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to enabling courts to fine individual board members of water companies that persistently pollute rivers and coastal waters.

Lord Benyon: As set out in Reg 41 Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, the courts do have power to fine directors and other officers of companies which are convicted of polluting rivers and coastal waters, where it can be proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of such officer or attributable to their neglect. The Environment Agency can and does prosecute company directors and other senior officers where the necessary evidence can be obtained to meet that test.

Home Office

Mike Veale

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any legal mechanisms to compel the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland to begin the gross misconduct hearing against Mike Veale, former Chief Constable for Cleveland which, when it was announced on 2 August 2021, was described as beginning “shortly”.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Whilst arrangements concerning the establishment of a misconduct hearing are a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), the management of the hearing itself is the responsibility of the independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC). The LQC must commence the hearing within 100 days of the officer being provided a notice referring them to proceedings, but may extend this period where the LQC considers it is in the interests of justice to do so. Decisions are made entirely independently of PCCs as well as Government.

Undocumented Migrants

Lord Goodlad: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of France about the implementation of the 1995 agreement on the return of illegal immigrants; and what was the outcome of these discussions.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The 1995 agreement continues to be used to manage migration flows between France and the UK. It enables the return of illegal migrants seeking to irregularly enter both the UK and France.The agreement is invoked when an individual without leave in either the UK or France seeks to enter via the Eurotunnel or Channel Port, when we can clearly indicate the time of embarkation and the individual does not claim asylum at the port.We continue to work with France on this global migration crisis. We are aiming for solutions to collectively address the wide range of factors associated with migrant movements across Europe and the Channel.

Immigration Controls

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the forecast by the Office for Budget responsibility thathigher net migration reduces pressure on government debt over time, what plans they have tointroduce changes to the UK immigration rules.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The points-based system has encouraged highly skilled people and high growth businesses to choose to locate and invest in the UK, alongside ensuring that employers are drawing on and upskilling the domestic UK workforce.The Home Office keeps all immigration routes introduced under the points-based immigration system under review and regularly makes changes to the immigration rules accordingly.

Detention Centres: Diseases

Lord Goodlad: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any notifiable diseases, as defined by the Public Health Control of Diseases Act 1984, have been identified as present in the Western Jet Foil and Manston Asylum Processing Centre; and if so, what steps they are taking as a result.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: All suspected cases of communicable disease are isolated in line with public health guidance. Every confirmed case is referred to the UK Health Security Agency by the laboratory.

Drugs: Crime

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentageof crimes reported relating to drug dealing in London are investigated by the police.

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of crimes (1) reported, and (2) investigated, by the police go to court.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Information on the investigative outcomes of crimes recorded by the police, including drug offences is, is published by the Home Office at Gov.UK.This Government is deeply concerned by the current levels of cases being investigated and then being converted into charges and subsequent prosecutions. The responsibility for this is shared across the Criminal Justice System, and the system needs to work better together. We are working with partners across the Criminal Justice System to increase the number of cases being charged and prosecuted, and reduce the time taken to reach this point.The CJS Delivery Data Dashboards, launched in December 2021, are a vital step in improving transparency and increasing understanding of the Criminal Justice System. These allow Police and Crime Commissioners, other local leaders and members of the public to see how their local area is performing. The CJS Delivery Data Dashboards can be found at Gov.UK.

Police

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of (1) public confidence in the police force, and (2) the impact of public confidence in the police force on the proportion of crimes people report.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The latest available data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime Survey for England and Wales in the year ending March 2020 suggested that 74% of adults had confidence in their local police. Covid-19 has impacted the ONS’s ability to collect more recent data. Currently there is no national (England and Wales) data collected on confidence to report crime.The Home Office will continue to work with bodies such as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) to consider how best to support forces in collating data on confidence and making this publicly available.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Council Tax

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been spent on (1) council tax reduction, and (2) council tax rebate schemes, in each year since 2008.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Locally designed council tax support schemes were introduced in 2013-14 to provide council tax reductions to households in financial need, replacing the previous national council tax benefit scheme. This data is published annually by the Department (attached) here.The Government has provided councils with £3 billion to provide the council tax rebate in 2022-23. The allocations for funding for the rebate is available (attached) here.  Summary Table (pdf, 445.7KB) Funding for the rebate (pdf, 830.6KB)

Housing: Construction

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are they taking to provide local authorities with additional funding for housebuilding projects.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Building more social and affordable homes is a priority for this Government, and councils have a key role to play in the delivery of new affordable homes. The Levelling Up White Paper set out the Government's commitment to increase the amount of social housing over time and build more genuinely affordable social housing.The Government wants to see local authorities delivering the next generation of council housing and we have given them a comprehensive range of tools to do so. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which councils can bid for, will leverage public and private finance to provide new homes across the country.

Social Rented Housing: Finance

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the total reduction in funds available for social housing in England since 2010.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Funding for new build affordable and social housing is made available through the Affordable Homes Programme. Since 2010 there have been 4 main programmes:The Affordable Homes Programme 2011 – 2015 - £4.5 billionThe Affordable Homes Programme 2015-2018 - £3.3 billion (replaced by the 2016-2023 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme)The Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 – 2023 - £9 billionThe Affordable Homes Programme 2021 – 26 - £11.5 billion

Cabinet Office

King Charles III: Ceremonies

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 November (HL2955), what criteria they used to decide which privy councillors would be given ex officio status and were therefore invited to attend the Accession Council on the 10 September.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The criteria for ex-officio eligibility to attend the Accession Council was based primarily on whether Privy Counsellors were serving in a senior parliamentary, judicial or Church post at the time of Demise. This was the most practical way to reflect the fact that the role of the Privy Council is to advise on the exercise of prerogative powers and certain functions assigned to The King and the Council by Act of Parliament.There are over 720 Privy Counsellors but only those currently serving in senior parliamentary, judicial and Church roles play an active role in Privy Council business. The majority of Privy Counsellors have no active involvement in Privy Council business; some Counsellors have not been actively involved in Privy Council business for decades.Additional criteria used to determine ex-officio eligibility included: Privy Counsellors who were senior, full-time Members of the Royal Household at the time of Demise.Former office holders who had a close working relationship with the Sovereign (former Prime Ministers, Archbishops and Lord Presidents).Former opposition leaders (representing Privy Counsellors from all political parties who no longer have an active role in Privy Council business).

Treasury

Bank Services

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 27 October (HL2608), what are the major vulnerabilities in the non-bank sector in the UK that they have identified over the last five years.

Baroness Penn: The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying, monitoring, and taking action to address systemic risks and improve the resilience of the UK financial system, including for non-banks. In March 2020, HM Treasury asked the FPC to conduct a detailed assessment of the risk oversight and mitigation systems for non-banks, which was published in July 2021. The Bank and FPC have undertaken significant other analysis of the non-bank system including reviews into the involvement of non-banks in March 2020 dash for cash pressures and liquidity management practises in funds. The non-bank sector is frequently covered in the FPC’s bi-annual financial stability reports with the next report scheduled for December 2022.Bank and FPC reporting has highlighted that vulnerabilities or activities within non-banks can amplify and transmit shocks to the wider financial system. For example they have previously highlighted, large increases in margin requirements, excessive fund redemptions, or a forced unwinding of leveraged positions as actions which can all create liquidity pressures within non-banks. These pressures can then be passed onto the wider system through actions such as large asset sales, redemptions from other funds, or through counterparty default risks. Additionally, the supply of market liquidity often retreats during stress events reducing the market’s ability to absorb these without adverse effects. The FPC report published in July 2021 also noted that gaps in data availability, including between jurisdictions, can constrain the ability of regulators to monitor the sector and for market participants to efficiently price in risk. HM Treasury agrees with the characterisation of risks in the non-bank sector by the FPC and its report supports recent work by international bodies such as the Financial Stability Board (FSB). The FSB has recently published its 2022 progress report to the G20 on its work to enhance the resilience of non-bank financial intermediation. Maintaining a global approach to the non-bank sector is important given the international nature of the financial system. As members of the FSB, HM Treasury and UK regulators have worked with international partners to identify and address vulnerabilities in non-bank financial intermediaries over the past two years and will continue to do so in 2023. This has included workstreams on money market funds and open-ended funds to date, with work planned to improve the resilience of margin practices and non-bank leverage.

Overseas Investment: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the exposure of UK investors to Chinese government bonds and stocks following the fall of the Hang Seng Index; and what holdings they currently have in the (1) Hong Kong dollar, and (2) Renminbi.

Baroness Penn: HM Treasury works closely with the UK’s independent financial regulators - including the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority to monitor risks to the UK financial system. The Government does not comment on specific financial market movements. However, the results of the Bank of England's 2021 stress test concluded that the UK banking sector is resilient to a sharp contraction in both China and Hong Kong's economic activity. Figures from the Office for National Statistics estimate that UK investors owned around £409bn of investment in China and Hong Kong at the end of 2021- or around 3% of the UK’s total investment held overseas. This compares to £4.3tn of investment held in the USA and £4.6tn in the EU.